One of the first in a series of post-C&C strategy games was KKND (Krush, Kill ‘n’ Destroy), published by Electronic Arts. It’s a pretty straightforward Command & Conquer ripoff that plays it safe by not meddling much with the basic formula.

The story is of the standard post-apocalyptic fare. A terrible nuclear war has left the world split between unscathed survivors and rampaging flesh mutants. Now the Survivors (who went underground to escape the war) are ready to come back up, while the surface-dwelling Evolved are having none of it.

The problem is, Beam didn’t take this far enough. In the fiction the Evolved are a quasi-religious group who shun technology, embrace the earth, and work on harnessing the power of the mutated creatures with whom they share the surface. To that end, they ride dire wolves and breed giant scorpions. But they also drive monster trucks and motorcycles, and within two missions of the start of the game, they’ve cast aside their creed and started drilling for oil (the KKND equivalent of Tiberium). Thereafter both sides feel very much the same.

Down to the nuts and bolts. KKND offers an excellent interface via “fly-out” menus that reside on a narrow bar at screen right. Using these, you can set up a production queue from anywhere on the map. Up to nine of each type of unit can be added to the queue, or you can just order the game to create certain units until the cash runs out. Beyond that, the interface closely mimics that of the original C&C, including the option to group units. As is also common with these sort of games, the AI is dumb as a post.

To sum it all up, KKND is a passable C&C clone that doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously (both manual and in-game cut scenes have that familiar C&C quirkiness). If you loved those early games, then you’ll get some enjoyment here.>